The South Carolina Broadband Map shows the availability of broadband service to every residential and business site in the state. Broadband data is provided by the majority of broadband providers in South Carolina. Based on broadband data provided, users can input their address to show the availability of broadband at their location. This includes download speeds, the connection type, and the providers offering service to their address. The map does not reveal the provider, if any, that a consumer may currently have service with at the particular address.
The map includes broadband provider data submitted to the South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff (ORS) combined with availability data from the Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) Form 477 (June 2019) data.
The ORS has provided a more precise picture of availability than the approach taken by the FCC. The South Carolina Broadband Map uses broadband provider data that was provided to show each home or business that is actually “served” or “unserved” in the state. The FCC Form 477 broadband mapping model defines entire census blocks as “served” or “unserved.” If broadband service is available to at least one location (home or business) in a census block, the entire block appears as “served.” The ORS has adopted the FCC definition of “served,” meaning a location with a minimum of 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload speed for use in this edition of the South Carolina Broadband Map.
Contacting the ORS About Map Discrepancies
The ORS is continuing to make the South Carolina Broadband Map as accurate as possible. The ORS is encouraging consumers who see a discrepancy in the map-— as in, the map suggests they have broadband service, but they actually do not— to contact the ORS.
CARES Act
Under Act 142, the ORS was authorized to expend a portion of South Carolina’s Coronavirus Relief Fund included in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security or “CARES Act” on broadband initiatives related to COVID-19. Part of this funding was allocated for broadband mapping, and the ORS engaged CostQuest Associates, Inc. to help complete the South Carolina Broadband Map.
Cost to Provide Access to Every Structure in the State
In addition to mapping the availability of broadband in South Carolina, CostQuest Associates, Inc. developed a model to estimate the cost to provide access to every unserved home and business in South Carolina. As of April 2021, it is estimated that it will cost $1.42B to connect all unserved South Carolina homes and businesses (over 365,000 structures) to fiber.